I’ve thought long and hard about what kind of article I wanted to write about our Outback. The grayish-greenish-blueish station wagon/SUV-thing was supposed to be our family car for the long run. It was supposed to be the first car of our fleet of two as my wife and I raised our family and commuted to work and school. It was great in every sense of the word: clean, dealer maintained by the previous owners, and solid as the day it rolled off the assembly line in Indiana. I figured that we would take care of it and I could hand it down to my son when he reached driving age. But none of it came to pass and we did not make it through the winter before it was all over.

The car was ours in early June 2010. We went to the dealership and I drove it. I knew it was the one I wanted, but it was priced about $1000 more than we were comfortable paying. With my pen hovering above the paper, I hesitated on signing for it and made as if to stand up and leave to test out a red Forester that I had seen up the road. The sales manager came out, appalled that I would walk away and put the final price within $200 of where I wanted it. I smiled and signed for it and then they started counting our money while I patted myself on the back for getting a good $500 knocked off the price. Others probably could have done better, but whatever, I got what I wanted.

That was the high point of our year (our son was born on the last day of the previous year). The Outback, ever faithful and trouble-free, did everything we asked it to do. It did it comfortably and competently, whether it was bounding down dirt roads like our Impreza had in college or cruising down the freeway at 70(ish) miles per hour, it was perfect. It showed no signs of 100,000 miles of previous usage, and was a welcoming environment in which to transport our growing family.

Summer wore on, hot and humid and completely devoid of phone calls and job opportunities. By the end of August we changed our plans and lowered our expectations, but to no avail. As the Great Recession wound down, so many people looking for work and so few companies looking to expand made for a very stinky soup to find oneself in. We were miserable and hopeless, but at the very least the car was posing no problem.

With our plans changed, the car took us three times to Chicago for interviews. It was quiet and comfortable on the highway. The air conditioning blew cold in the summer and it was toasty warm in the winter. The cupholders were conveniently placed and the seats were pleasant for long drives, perhaps the best seats of all my cars. The Outback was more than big enough for the three of us, swallowing our luggage and a stroller and hiding it all under the cargo cover behind the rear seats. With the beige interior it was a light and airy place to be. I am confident that with the arrival of a second child it would continue to be large enough to suit us. That was not to be, however.

Fall took with it the leaves and the summer’s warmth and our plans to remain in the US for an extended period of time. At the end of October we decided to go back to Japan. I sent out some applications and, with my previous experience, had my choice of where to work. The Outback took us one last time to Chicago in December for an interview that provided an opportunity to teach English in Japan once more. We made reservations at a nice hotel for the following night and made a weekend of it. The Outback waited for us in a parking garage downtown and then took us back to our temporary (if long-term) home at my parents’ house. My wife went back to Japan in January with our son, then I followed in late March when I got my visa and my job started. The car was sold in February after spending a few hours listed on Craigslist for about $1000 less than what we had paid.

So what was it like to own for nearly a year? Perfect. I think that the Outback is a perfectly balanced family car, even given the early generations’ not-quite-full-sized size. Had we stayed in America and had our second child there, I am certain that it would have continued to be well-suited to the task of carting us around. A third child may have changed that, but only a smidge. We’ve made a living pressed for space in Japan, so what Americans may perceive as a lack of room was really never an issue for us.

So, this one did have the EJ25 with its infamous self-immolating head gaskets. Were they a problem on this car? Nope. No problems whatsoever. No oil leaks, no burning oil, no CEL or anything that would indicate any issues at all with that engine, the 165-horsepower boxer that powered it. While no one could say that it was a powerful, sporting engine, it did have a certain joie-de-vivre with its Subie burble and well-balanced ride and handling compromise (best of all our cars, I would say). It could be that the Subaru SS got to me in the middle of the night, slipping into my bedroom to poison me with the Subaru kool-aid so that I never say anything negative about their products, but the head gasket thing to me seems overblown. Subarus aren’t perfect. No car is (except maybe 90s Toyotas), and I do believe people when they say that they’ve had bad experiences with Subarus of their own. Mine have been great, though; solid, dependable, wonderful cars.

So, how to sum up the second generation Outback that was in our service for not quite a year… Hm… Promising. The car was ready to be something more to us than it had an opportunity to be. For those eight short months of ownership it showed that it had what it takes to be a great car, but it fades into the background of the suffering of that year and the low point of a hopeless fall when I was really questioning my worth as a human being. Looking back on it through that context, it makes me think that it really cared a lot about us. When everything was going wrong, when all of our plans fell apart and every opportunity slammed closed to us, the Outback never let us down.

Oh, to have been able to get a B4 Legacy while I was there, but it was not in the cards. I’m no longer there, I just returned to the US after four years there, but I did get a bit of a taste of some JDM stuff that I’m sure will be interesting to read about.

Same in Bellingham. Until January, I worked at a Subie dealership detailing cars. They will still sell them for $6-7K even if they have over 200,000 miles on them, every panel dented, holes in the cheap carpet.

These cars get USED up here. Most come in dirty as a farm truck and reeking of B.O.. Too bad they never made an actual 1/4 truck.

If I lived in an area with more inclement weather, this model would be high on my list. The recent generation appears to have very good ground clearance compared to many SUVs.

A 3rd kid may be the watershed for buyers choosing between “midsized” wagons like these (esp. w/o 3rd seats) & minivans. While wagon-shopping in ’95 (with 2 kids at the time), we considered Subaru but got the XV10 Camry because of its 3rd-seat. I don’t know of any other import wagons at the time offering this besides Volvo.

These were nice, and very durable with quality materials inside. There seem to be tons of them still around here with well over 200k miles. I think this generation really is what established Subaru’s Outback as the SUV-alternative. Nice article as always, thanks!

The next generation was similar sized (if not smaller) but the 4th generation then got quite a big larger, the back seat is easily large enough for 3 real people as well as kids with the boosters etc. Still can’t avoid the bickering though unless you go for 3 rows…

Subaru’s almost VW-like marketing, combined with a competent product, really put them on the map in the US, specifically in those four-season, snowbelt areas. While maybe not up to Toyota or Honda levels, reliability is very good, and the cars pretty much do what’s asked of them. They’re one of those rare cars that’s not so easy to find on used car lots because people tend to hang onto them for a long time.

It’s hard to fathom that Subaru got their start in the US by snake-oil salesman Malcolm Bricklin importing the frighteningly dangerous, tiny Subaru 360 back in the sixties. Fortunately, the company was able to rid itself of that guy soon enough, and the rest is history.

Totally the hippie-ish, outdoor, Mother Earth image. Heavily marketed to dog owners. Posters of dogs all over the showroom and dog dishes on the floor. They found themselves a spot that jibes with a lot of Northwest folk. I imagine they don’t sell as well in, say, Michigan or Iowa. Correct me if I’m wrong. I’ve lived in only Alaska and Washington my whole life.

Subarus in general don’t really give me much to get excited about, but for many they seem to provide reliable transportation and pleasant ownership. I still tend to see Subaru as a niche brand, although with both the previous generation, more CUV-like Outback and Forester, I think a lot more families are considering Subaru that wouldn’t have before.

Good article and nice to see the tin work was well hidden or non-existant. Austin, TX or somewhere in Dixie maybe even the Southwest would be a good place to buy one of these since the climate is milder and many people are not looking for Subaru’s.

My 3 sisters have owned 6 or 7 Subarus wagons among them, the 1st was a FWD Leone wagon. Only one, so far, has been problematic and that was a turbo wagon. About the 3rd or 4th generation Outback, Subaru really got it together, but later models (IMHO) are just hugely bloated “re-runs” of the original.
I put about 200 miles on my aunt’s Outback a few years ago in a summer afternoon. In the dry anyway, an Outback comes across as a somewhat benign wagon….a late 90s Accord wagon if Honda still sold them here. Apparently you need bad weather on a regular schedule to really enjoy these cars. I could use the Outback’s better ground clearance, though.

These seem to be excellent cars, with rather fanatical owners. And I suppose the extra ground clearance can come in handy. For me, who never puts a wheel off tarmac and has long since sworn off things like camping and hiking, the outdoorsy image of the Outback (and the Forester for that matter) just seems an unnatural fit. Dishonest somehow–I’d feel like I was trying to be something I’m not. Kind of the same reason I wouldn’t likely drive a 4×4 pickup, or a Viper. Great for a lot of people–the Outback and Forester are both pretty immensely popular around here, and I wouldn’t stop anyone from getting one.

What I *would* be quite interested in would be a Legacy GT wagon from the generation following this. Has the Subaru virtues (AWD, safety) but with a little more power and more adapted to paved twisties than winding trails. Hard to find though, especially as the non-Outback version of the wagon got axed in 2007.

The following generation (same as the turbo Legacy GT) also offered an “Outback XT,” which combined the Outback body with the turbo engine… you could even get it as a stick-shift. On our New England roads, with their potholes and unreliable plowing, I would actually prefer this to a Legacy GT even if I never go off-road.

Up here, the outdoorsy image wouldn’t be a problem… Outbacks are just a default appliance car, barely different from an Accord.

We had an Outback of this generation in the LL Bean edition (6-cylinder engine, almost every luxury option Subaru offered at the time). We didn’t keep it long, but certainly appreciated its virtues while we had it. The bigger engine gave it adequate power, though the 4-speed automatic didn’t do any favors to acceleration or fuel consumption. And boy, was it loud on the highway.

But if you judge it on its ability to handle New England’s main challenges (potholes & snow), it was truly excellent: better than most SUVs with composed handling–not spongy. Steering was a bit dull, though: we had a Legacy GT of the same generation with much sharper steering.

The Outbacks’ ground clearance was, and is, pretty amazing for an otherwise wagon-like vehicle. It has more clearance than most of the taller crossovers.

It’s nice to see Subaru being rewarded by the market for making a good product. It’s true that their long-term reliability isn’t quite at Toyota’s level, but for many people the added capability makes it a good compromise. And anyway, their mechanical failings are pretty minor compared to, say, modern Jeeps.

My parents had a 2003 Outback, but I don’t think they ever liked it very much. At the time, it was the best choice for an AWD small wagon, and they didn’t want a CUV like a CR-V or Rav 4 just yet.

My family has driven a lot of Japanese cars over the years, but the Subaru just didn’t stand out as being the tops for reliability or performance. It did one thing well, go anywhere in snow. But it was very slow, 0-60 took 13 seconds, and not particularly efficient at around 23-24 MPG in the real world. Also, it rode like an oxcart, but there was no tradeoff in stellar handling. Subarus seem to be deliberately designed to be automotive hairshirts because their owners want to show the world how they are ruffin’ it.

The frameless side glass seemed like an odd design choice for a utilitarian, functional car, and the driver’s window always had a vicious wind leak. They kept it 10 years, over 100K, at which point annoying and expensive things like the AC started to break. So they asked me what to get, and I said without hesitation the new Mazda CX-5.

I know Subaru had a stranglehold on the crossover, CUV, AWD market, especially in New England. But there seem to be so many better options now that you can get AWD on almost any car. What I love about the CX-5 is you can choose FWD or AWD depending on your needs so you’re not wasting money driving all four wheels around if you live in the South.

Yeah, my sister’s family bought one of this generation after running an older Legacy wagon into the ground. They were not as impressed with this one. It was not reliable, gas mileage was atrocious considering the performance and size, and it was cramped with just two kids. They ended up buying a pickup and using that more for traveling because the mileage when loaded wasn’t that much worse and it was a lot more comfortable (they had a car-top carrier on the Outback). I don’t think they were ever happy with the Outback.

I know I looked at one of these for myself and ended up buying an SUV instead because at a long-legged 6’3″ I just couldn’t get comfortable.

As I’ve discussed elsewhere, without this nice example as a reference point, this has been the final step in the car buying evolution of the wing of my family that buys foreign cars.

Renault (late 70s) > Mazda (early 80s) > Honda (90s) > Toyota (90s and early aughts) > these in this exact style and color, and Foresters. My mom and dad are still sticking with Toyotas. We’ll see where the rest of them go next; one recently traded his Outback in on a loaded Mazda 6. Full circle?

I’ve had Subies since 1979 (’79, ’84, ’88, ’96, ’99, and now a ’13 Sport Limited). Call me crazy, addicted, or whatever you like, I have had good fortune with all of them. They are solid and reliable, as echoed by others in this post.
Rock on..

My current drive is an 02 LLBean, in that slightly gold tinged white Subaru used for a while. It’s a great car. I looked for the six, despite the lack of a manual, since it has a timing chain and no reputation for head gasket issues. I bought it at 113k miles, immediately did the right front half shaft (they get cooked, being next to the catalytic converter) and both vave cover gaskets, and it’s still running strong 4 years later at 165k. MPGs not that bad – better than my wifes CRV for some reason. Only issues in the 4 years was a loud wheel bearing, a $10 fan relay, and a thermostat and radiator cap. And almost no depreciation.
I’m in SoCal so I don’t use the AWD for weather, but it is nice on desert dirt roads, taking my Scouts camping. (Google Carrizzo Gorge trestle.)

I’m glad folks have had good experiences with their 2002 Outbacks. I hate the damn things, even with their gifts. The over all build quality is worthy of GM’s worst sins. What other car’s head gaskets fail at 65k? Mine did, and the dealer did replace them under a hidden warranty, but the engine blew up 50 miles later, and he claimed no responsibility. A coincidence, he claimed.

Engines do blow up without reason, he said. Really. 50 miles after you had your hands on it.

What really gets to me is the utter lack of rust proofing which makes vehicle corrosion predictable. And Subaru just be the last Japanese car made without anodized hardware, which has makes the heat wrench be the first tool to use.

I will say it does have impressive traction in snow, but the build quality of my car reminds me of the junk GM turned out in the ’70’s while reminding us it was out patriotic duty to buy the crap. Sorry, Subaru, never again. Sayonara.

I owned 3 Foresters and an Impreza Outback, and while pretty good cars, they do start to rust and fall apart after a while. Mine all went to at least 180 – 200K, but while generally reliable, they were not trouble free. They will keep running but still nickel and dime you to death, and the head gasket thing is very real. And as far as for their abilities in the snow, well, two of my Foresters failed to negotiate a snow storm when desperately needed. I still have a fondness for these cars, but their reputation is exaggerated.

The 2002 was my second Outback. Very reliable, great in snow. Really liked the heated seats. Then got a company car in 2007. The Outback did have a slight case of the head gasket situation, I’d just add coolant occasionally. In 2011 I traded it in because I wanted a manual transmission, now have a 2002 Forester with the manual. One thing I didn’t like about the manual transmission Outbacks – 5th gear was every low, resulting in about 3200 rpm at 65 mph. Experienced that with my manual ’98 Outback. Drove a 2002, same gearing. I don’t know why in the world Subaru chose that gearing, the engine was certainly capable of turning slower at highway speeds. The Forester’s top gear and the Outback automatics are reasonable at about 2750 & 2600 rpm at 65 mph.

I’ve had 6 Subarus – 8 counting my son’s with my name on the title. If I lose the company car I’d drive the ’02 for a while, then probably get at 2010 or newer Outback with the CVT if I find real world fuel mileage is actually better than manuals per the ratings.